GOODLETSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — More than 1,100 participants ran Saturday morning at Moss-Wright Park for a special 5K event honoring the life of Goodpasture runner Janie Grace Moss, who collapsed on a trail and died last year.
The memorial run celebrated what would have been Moss's 19th birthday on August 23. Her family said it meant a lot to see the community come out and show support.
"The 5K is just to try and continue the legacy of Janie Grace," said Janie Grace's dad, John Moss.
"She loved to run and we just had several people that came to us and said, 'hey, why don't we just do a run in her honor?' And so we decided to go ahead and pick it up and see what we could do with it, and the turnout and the participation has been so good that it has overwhelmed us a little bit."
The 5K served as both a celebration of life and a fundraiser for more things to do in her honor.
Her family was able to give four scholarships in her name because of a scholarship fund they started.
The scholarships went to Jayden Jones, attending Tennessee State University; Taylor Duke attending University of Tennessee in Chattanooga; Ryland Moses attending Trevecca; and Caroline Batson attending Samford.
"It's such an honor. It just makes us feel so warm and loved. It makes us just, it makes it easier to go through the process of losing someone that we love when so many friends and family and community members can rally around us. It just makes us so proud and proud of her legacy that she lived," JaneAnne Moss said.
In addition to honoring Moss's memory, organizers purchased two automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for Moss-Wright Park. One of the life-saving devices was placed at the location where the tragedy occurred.
The event demonstrated how the community rallied to remember Moss while taking steps to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
Janie Grace was also accepted and committed to Harding University. The university gave her family a special certificate of recognition to acknowledge her acceptance.
Touching moment: Harding University presented Janie Grace Moss's family with a certificate of recognition at Saturday's memorial 5K. She was accepted to the university before her passing. #JanieGrace #HardingUniversity #Nashville pic.twitter.com/2FtBMx0yhA
— Eric Pointer (@EricPointerTV) August 23, 2025
Watch the full story to see how Janie Grace Moss's parents kept their daughter's memory alive through community support and safety improvements. Have a story about community memorial events or families turning tragedy into positive change? Contact Eric at Eric.Pointer@NewsChannel5.com.
This story was reported by Eric Pointer and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Eric Pointer and our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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